The Subirito (or Suburi Bokken) is a training sword that is used in traditional Japanese martial arts such as Kenjutsu, Kendo, Aikido and Ninjutsu or any martial art that uses the traditional Japanese Katana.
The Suburi Bokken is traditionally carved from oak and is constructed to be much heavier than a traditional Bokken in order to develop the muscle groups used in the traditional Japanese sword arts. There are various types of Suburito including the Oar Suburi which as its name implies is shaped like (and derived from) a boats oar and the Benkei Suburi which is octagonal in shape.
All Suburi Bokken are significantly heavier than a traditional Bokken and as well as being conducive to developing the relevant muscle groups in swordsmanship they also help develop speed in the same way as ankle/wrist and other weights do in resistance training. For information on other “traditional” training tools, please visit the main Martial Arts Training Equipment section
Video of a Suburito – Heavy Wooden Training Sword